In the production of mailer type business forms, it is sometimes necessary to provide a great deal of information on the mailer, which is desirably imprinted by a computer controlled printer, particularly a non-impact printer. One particularly simple way to produce such mailers, such as shown conceptually by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,375,868, 4,927,072, and 4,944,449, is to produce the mailers from intermediates which comprise a single sheet of paper having a quadrate configuration with a pair of longitudinal edges, first and second side edges, and first and second faces. The intermediates are run through the computer controlled printer, typically driven by tractor drive holes formed in marginal portions of the intermediate, and then are folded into four or six panels to produce a final mailer.
According to the present invention, a mailer intermediate, and a method of constructing a mailer from the intermediate, are provided which facilitate the production of mailers containing a great deal of information, from single sheets, utilizing pressure sensitive adhesive to seal the components together. The pressure sensitive adhesive may be of the type sold by Toppan Moore of Japan under the designation TM124, and it is designed to be used in the Moore SPEEDISEALER.RTM. pressure seal system, which is extremely advantageous in producing mailers without requiring equipment necessary for activating heat sensitive adhesives.
According to one aspect of the present invention a mailer intermediate, for producing a mailer having four panels, is provided. The mailer intermediate comprises: A single sheet of paper having a quadrate configuration with a pair of longitudinal edges, first and second side edges, and first and second faces. A center fold line essentially bisecting the longitudinal edges and extending therebetween essentially perpendicular thereto. A longitudinal fold line essentially bisecting the side edges and extending therebetween essentially perpendicular thereto. Means defining lines of weakness spaced from each of the edges and fold lines to define marginal portions and four quadrate main panels, the main panels of essentially identical size. A first plurality of pressure sensitive adhesive patterns disposed in the marginal portions on the second face along the side edges, longitudinal edges, and longitudinal fold lines. And, a second plurality of pressure sensitive adhesive patterns disposed in the marginal portions on the first face in the marginal portions along the first side edge, and half of each of the longitudinal edges adjacent the first side edge, and adjacent the center fold line in the marginal portion closest to the first side edge.
The first and second pluralities of pressure sensitive adhesive patterns may comprise discontinuous strips of pressure sensitive adhesive which align with like strips in cooperating marginal portions when the intermediate is folded about the fold lines. The discontinuous strips of pressure sensitive adhesive may comprise L-shaped portions at the corners at which the strips intersect. Typically the second face marginal portions adjacent the center fold line are devoid of adhesive patterns except where intersected by the longitudinal fold line and the longitudinal edges, in order to minimize the thickness of the marginal portions of the mailer. Similarly, the first face marginal portions adjacent the longitudinal fold line between the first side edge and the center fold line are devoid of adhesive patterns. One of the panels between the second side edge and the center fold line on the first face preferably address indicia printed thereto to indicate the addressee of a mailer produced from the intermediate.
The invention also comprises a method of constructing a mailer utilizing the intermediate described above. The mailer is produced by the steps of substantially sequentially: (a) Feeding the intermediate through a non-impact printer so as to print indicia on the first and/or second faces thereof. (b) Folding the intermediate about the center fold line so that the first plurality of adhesive patterns on the the second face thereof are moved into cooperating relationship with each other. (c) Folding the intermediate about the longitudinal fold line so that the second plurality of adhesive patterns on the first face thereof are moved into cooperating relationship with each other. And, (d) applying pressure to only the marginal portions of the intermediate containing adhesive patterns to seal all the cooperating adhesive patterns to each other.
Step (a) is preferably practiced to print outgoing address information on one of the panels between the second side edge and the center fold line on the first face of the intermediate, and step (a) is further practiced by utilizing tractor feed openings in the marginal portions of the intermediate along the longitudinal edges thereof. The intermediate may be in continuous format, being connected to like intermediates along the side edges thereof, in which case there is the further step, between steps (a) and (b), of bursting the continuous intermediates along the side edges.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a six panel mailer intermediate is provided. That intermediate comprises: A single sheet of paper having a quadrate configuration with a pair of longitudinal edges, first and second side edges, and first and second faces. A center fold line essentially bisecting the longitudinal edges and extending therebetween essentially perpendicular thereto. First and second longitudinal fold lines essentially trisecting the side edges and extending therebetween essentially perpendicular thereto, and parallel to each other and the longitudinal edges. Means defining lines of weakness spaced from each of the edges and the center fold line to define marginal portions and six quadrate main panels, the main panels of essentially identical size, including four end panels, and two center panels. A first plurality of pressure sensitive adhesive patterns disposed in the marginal portions adjacent the side edges and one of the longitudinal edges on the second face. A second plurality of pressure sensitive adhesive patterns disposed on the first face in the marginal portions along the first side edge, and adjacent the center fold line in the marginal portion closest to the first side edge. And, a third plurality of pressure sensitive adhesive patterns disposed on the first face in the marginal portions along the second side edge, and adjacent the center fold line in the marginal portion closest to the second side edge, in one, and only one, of the end panels. The longitudinal fold lines may comprise lines of weakness.
There also may be provided fourth pressure sensitive adhesive patterns disposed in the marginal portions on the first face adjacent the longitudinal edge most remote from the first fold line, and in one panel adjacent the second longitudinal fold line. The fourth pressure sensitive adhesive patterns align when the intermediate is folded about the center fold line, first longitudinal fold line, and then second longitudinal line, respectively.
The invention also contemplates a method of constructing a mailer utilizing the six panel intermediate described above. The method comprises the steps of substantially sequentially: (a) Feeding the intermediate through a non-impact printer so as to print indicia on the first and/or second faces thereof. (b) Folding the intermediate about the center fold line so that the first plurality of adhesive patterns on the second face thereof are moved into cooperating relationship with each other. (c) Folding the intermediate about the first longitudinal fold line so that some of the second plurality of adhesive patterns on the first face thereof are moved into cooperating relationship with each other. (d) Folding the intermediate about the second longitudinal fold line so that the third plurality of adhesive patterns on the first face thereof are moved into cooperating relationship with the remaining portions of the second plurality of adhesive patterns. And, (e) applying pressure to only the marginal portions of the intermediate containing adhesive patterns to seal all the cooperating adhesive patterns to each other into a final mailer having six aligned main panels.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a matched mailer from an intermediate, and utilizing the method, specifically designed to accommodate pressure sensitive adhesive to effect sealing of the mailer components together. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention, and from the appended claims.